Tuesday’s first event is the Distinguished Achievers Breakfast and SuperSession, beginning at 8:30 a.m. During the event, APCO International will bring its hardest working and highest achieving members to the stage before their peers to thank them properly for what they bring to public safety communications.

APCO will recognize those agencies that have achieved Project 33 and CALEA certifications, as well as agencies that have completed training with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The Horizon Awards for small and large PSAPs will also be presented, and many other honors will presented.

The SuperSession, Over Committed, Overwhelmed and Over It! Success Skills for the Blisteringly Busy, will be presented by Juliet Funt. She says the No. 1 lifestyle complaint today is having “too much to do with too little time.”

Through funny stories about real people and experiences, Funt will provide simple, yet powerful, strategies for managing your in-box, juggling projects and shifting your perspective from panic to acceptance and from acceptance to fulfillment. Learn how to change the way you think about your goals, define success and keep free time for yourself.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., attendees will have exclusive time in the exhibit hall to catch up with and meet exhibitors and see cutting-edge technology. Don’t miss out! The hall closes for the last time on Tuesday.

Professional Development Tracks
From 1:15-2:30 p.m.
Hear about the CALEA Communications Accreditation from communication personnel at certified agencies during CALEA Public Safety Communications Accreditation — The Process Explained.

Cities and counties across the U.S. are considering comm center consolidation. Hear a panel of experts address what agencies gain from this process during Consolidation of Emergency Communcations Center — Cost Savings: Myth or Reality?

From 2:45-4:00 p.m.
FCC Featured Presentation: Roberto Mussenden of the FCC will provide an overview of the Commission’s narrowbanding rules, focusing on deadlines, licensing requirements and guidelines. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.

Members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Communications department will be presenting on how to use previous officer down situations, including incident participants, to train new telecommunicators during Using the Past to Train for the Future — Officer Down Training.

In Leveraging IP to Cost Effectively Achieve Better Radio Communications Operability and Interoperability, James Mustarde, Twisted Pair Solutions, will give a presentation on the effects of 4G/LTE on emergency communications. By referencing real-world examples from government, military and commercial sectors that have long benefited from these low-cost, flexible communications capabilities, Mustarde will discuss how public safety agencies can leverage software applications running on a multitude of devices over a mix of private/public broadband networks to extract the capability and value from their current and future networks and infrastructure investments. This session will give attendees a look at a number of scenarios, such as IP dispatch and secure push to talk, with an emphasis on the impact of new applications that complement and may eventually supersede today’s critical communications technologies.

(View the complete schedule online.)

Can’t Miss
During the Second General Business Session at 4 p.m., eligible members will vote and resolve any additional association business. This year’s business includes the historic first election of the eight regional representatives, and the Commercial Advisory Council representative, on the APCO Board of Directors under the Strategic Governance Implementation. Current representatives and other qualified candidates can run for a two-year term. Add the sessions to your agenda.

Also hear Admiral Jamie Barnett, chief of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, speak during APCO’s Second General Business Session.

Celebrate!
After the exhibit hall closes and all business is resolved, make sure to attend APCO’s most elegant and lively event of the year: the Annual Blue & White Gala (6–10 p.m.). Dine with us and celebrate the swearing in of the 2011-2012 APCO Executive Committee.

Also, this year’s gala promises laughter, with an encore performance from the Dueling Pianos of Michael and Amy, which were last seen on the gala’s stage in 2007.